proton-rclone-sync

Automated, event-driven backup for Proton Drive on Linux using rclone and systemd.

Features

• Efficient: Only triggers on file changes — no cron needed.
• Minimal: Lightweight oneshot service with no background processes.
• Smart: Reads Proton Drive before uploading — only sends new or modified files.

Requirements

• rclone installed and available in $PATH
• A Proton Drive remote configured via rclone config (see rclone Proton Drive docs)

Installation

1. Clone the repo:

   git clone https://github.com/l0wa1r/proton-rclone-sync ~/.local/share/proton-sync
   cd ~/.local/share/proton-sync

2. Copy the unit files:

   mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user/
   cp proton-sync.service proton-sync.path ~/.config/systemd/user/

3. Configure the filter file:

   Copy the example filter and edit it to match your folder structure:

   mkdir -p ~/.config/rclone/
   cp proton.filter ~/.config/rclone/proton.filter

4. Enable and start:

   systemctl --user daemon-reload
   systemctl --user enable --now proton-sync.path

Usage

The path watcher monitors your configured folders and automatically triggers a sync when files change. To monitor logs in real time:

journalctl --user -u proton-sync.service -f

To trigger a manual sync:

systemctl --user start proton-sync.service &
journalctl --user -u proton-sync.service -f

Configuration

Remote Name

The service assumes your Proton Drive remote is named proton. To check your remote name:

rclone listremotes

If your remote has a different name, edit ~/.config/systemd/user/proton-sync.service and replace proton: with your remote name, then run systemctl --user daemon-reload.

Filter File

Edit ~/.config/rclone/proton.filter to control which folders are synced:

+ /Documents/**
+ /Pictures/**
+ /Videos/**
- /Downloads/**
- /.*
- *

Rules are processed top to bottom. A + includes the path, - excludes it. The final - * excludes everything not explicitly included.

Note: The path watcher (proton-sync.path) monitors the same folders listed here. If you add or remove folders from this filter, update proton-sync.path accordingly and run systemctl --user daemon-reload.

Troubleshooting

422 errors from Proton Drive: Usually caused by a corrupted draft stuck on Proton's side. Find the failing file in the logs and delete it from Proton Drive via web, then retry. The service is tuned to minimize these (--transfers 1, --tpslimit 1, --protondrive-replace-existing-draft=true).

Sync not triggering: Make sure the path watcher is active:

systemctl --user status proton-sync.path